The Shadowed One's game was rapidly drawing to a close - after two short nights of murder, only three assassins remained. Pulse and Unit eyed each other warily as they made their way through the twisted streets that led to Toa of Anarchy's bunker. Their target had lain low the past two nights, a strategy that had worked well for him so far, but Unit and Pulse had agreed to a brief truce to ensure that Toa of Anarchy's elusiveness would not result in his victory.

Tonight, however, Toa of Anarchy was determined to strike first. He was not, as the other two assassins expected, hiding in his bunker, but he had sequestered himself in a nearby dumpster with his RPG. As he heard Pulse and Unit walk past, he jumped out, firing his weapon at Unit - but to his surprise, the object that struck Unit in the chest was not an explosive but rather a plastic lawn ornament. Toa of Anarchy dived back into the dumpster, searching frantically for the packaging the RPG had come in. Upon finding it, his heart sank - according to the fine print, he had purchased not a rocket-propelled grenade but a rocket-propelled gnome.

Cautiously, Toa of Anarchy lifted the lid of the dumpster. As he did so, Pulse threw his hammer, Thor-style, and knocked Toa of Anarchy's barely-exposed head clean off his shoulders. A half-second later, Unit's knife clattered uselessly against the side of the dumpster.

The two remaining Dark Hunters glanced at each other before disappearing in opposite directions. Within twenty-four hours, the game would be over.

You killed Harvey. I am not pleased about that. Unluckily for you, Pulse, I know where you are. You may be allied with the Impersonator, but he won't save you. You could be that... that Dragon in Subspace for all I care, and that wouldn't save you. We are not amused.

"OOC: So now we get to fight in a burning magnetic cyberspace castle, above a tsunami filled with magnetic flying explosive sharks, where bricks and sharks are being magnetically flung around the room, two people are hugging/tickle-dancing, one person has had his chest explode, and the rules of time and space have completely forgotten that they are supposed to exist. This round is awesome."

You know, the person pretending to be The Shadowed One. I have to admit though, the Vacation's gonna be fun. I'll make sure you especially enjoy it, Pulse. I'll make sure the holiday brings a nice big smile to your face.

"OOC: So now we get to fight in a burning magnetic cyberspace castle, above a tsunami filled with magnetic flying explosive sharks, where bricks and sharks are being magnetically flung around the room, two people are hugging/tickle-dancing, one person has had his chest explode, and the rules of time and space have completely forgotten that they are supposed to exist. This round is awesome."

Pulse watched Unit from the shadows as the other Dark Hunter made his way toward the Shadowed One's fortress. He thought it was a bit conceited of Unit to travel there so soon - there were still two assassins left, after all - but he figured the imposing structure would make a pretty sweet backdrop for the final round of this murderous game. As if on cue, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the silhouette of the fortress.

As Pulse stalked Unit through a particularly dark corridor of the fortress, he was able to get close enough to discover that Unit had abandoned his old weapon of choice, the knife, in favor of a grenade that was now clutched in his hand. Pulse grinned. Grenades were practically useless against him - he had "explosive" in his name, after all. Now was the time to strike.

Pulse lunged from the shadows, but he made the mistake of doing so just as Unit walked in front of a beam of moonlight shining through the corridor's sole window. As his dagger slashed toward Unit's throat, the other Dark Hunter saw the flash of the blade and leapt nimbly to the side.

Unit pulled the pin on his grenade and sprinted down the hallway. Fortunately for him, Pulse didn't follow. Instead, he bent down and picked up the live grenade, chuckling a bit to himself - and then the grenade exploded in a shower of knives, four of which buried themselves in his chest and another of which found its home in his throat. He died instantly.

Unit entered the Shadowed One's throne room cautiously, fearing that perhaps there was yet some final trick, that their leader never intended that any of his Hunters should remain alive. "Congratulations," rumbled the Shadowed One's voice from the depths of the chamber. The leader of the Dark Hunters snapped his fingers--

And Unit found himself seated atop a massive heap of widgets on a barren coastline. He breathed a sigh of relief: the game was over.

tl;dr Pulse is dead. He was killed, unsurprisingly, by Unit. Thus:

Unit#phntk#1 is the winner of Hitman Lite. Congratulations!

Regarding future games: I enjoyed hosting this game and the creative challenge of writing entertaining scenes, but I don't foresee myself having time to host again in the near future. If someone else would like to take over Hitman Lite, that's fine with me. I'm not exactly sure what the best way to determine a host would be, though I do think people other than the winner should have the opportunity to host.

One recommendation for future games, should they happen - as there are only ten spots available, I'd suggest that the first 24 hours of sign-ups be open only to those who did not participate in the previous Lite game.

"OOC: So now we get to fight in a burning magnetic cyberspace castle, above a tsunami filled with magnetic flying explosive sharks, where bricks and sharks are being magnetically flung around the room, two people are hugging/tickle-dancing, one person has had his chest explode, and the rules of time and space have completely forgotten that they are supposed to exist. This round is awesome."

In other news, I am formulating my own version of the game, but it's for the main series, not a Lite game. Actually, you guys should definitely have a Lite game going on if/when I get to host, because mine will be a little more complex than usual.

"OOC: So now we get to fight in a burning magnetic cyberspace castle, above a tsunami filled with magnetic flying explosive sharks, where bricks and sharks are being magnetically flung around the room, two people are hugging/tickle-dancing, one person has had his chest explode, and the rules of time and space have completely forgotten that they are supposed to exist. This round is awesome."

"OOC: So now we get to fight in a burning magnetic cyberspace castle, above a tsunami filled with magnetic flying explosive sharks, where bricks and sharks are being magnetically flung around the room, two people are hugging/tickle-dancing, one person has had his chest explode, and the rules of time and space have completely forgotten that they are supposed to exist. This round is awesome."

"OOC: So now we get to fight in a burning magnetic cyberspace castle, above a tsunami filled with magnetic flying explosive sharks, where bricks and sharks are being magnetically flung around the room, two people are hugging/tickle-dancing, one person has had his chest explode, and the rules of time and space have completely forgotten that they are supposed to exist. This round is awesome."

"OOC: So now we get to fight in a burning magnetic cyberspace castle, above a tsunami filled with magnetic flying explosive sharks, where bricks and sharks are being magnetically flung around the room, two people are hugging/tickle-dancing, one person has had his chest explode, and the rules of time and space have completely forgotten that they are supposed to exist. This round is awesome."